Thank You, Jess
by QuirkyChameleon
Summary: A small fanfic about Jess saving Leslie or something, you'll have to read it. P.S. Leslie hasn't died. P.P.S. Rated K for some minor language.


Bridge To Terabithia FanFiction

Thank You, Jess

It was a cold, cloudy day as Jess and Leslie made their way to Terabithia. P.T. was tagging along too, his fur making him look like a fluffy gray cloud darting through the snow.

Jess and Leslie were carrying blankets for their castle in Terabithia, to try to keep it as warm as possible during the winter months. Leslie always said it was more to protect the castle than themselves.

"The Dark Master loves cold, hates warm," she said seriously for about the sixth time that week as they trudged through the snow. "One of the few things he hates is blankets, because they keep things warm." Jess decided to ignore his annoyance at her constant repetition of this.

"What about the warriors?" said Jess, shivering slightly. "And that giant who saved my life?"

"They'll be fine," Leslie said confidently. "They have their own warming methods."

"I can't wait to get to Terabithia," Jess said, eager to change the subject. Leslie nodded vigorously, her teeth chattering.

They came to the river, which was completely frozen over. Leslie put her foot down gingerly to test it, and Jess picked P.T. up. Together they slid across the icy platform, keeping as steady as they could.

Just then Leslie caused a slight diversion by slipping, falling backward, and landing in Jess' arms, sending P.T. flying toward the other side of the creek.

Jess turned the color of a beetroot and helped Leslie to her feet. Leslie's cheeks were very red too as they made it across the ice.

They stood in silence for a few minutes, staring at the ground awkwardly.

Jess broke the uncomfortable silence.

"There's the castle, we'd better see how our canopy's holding out."

They got inside of the castle at last to find it rather warmer than it had been all winter. They set their blankets down and tried to get comfortable in the small din. Jess sat down and sprang back up with a yelp of surprise. A Terabithian warrior had been snoozing there. It buzzed angrily and flew out of the treehouse.

"Maybe we should have brought more blankets…" Jess said uncertainly.

Leslie looked delighted.

"No, this is great!" she said. "My two best friends and a roof over my head, what more could I need?"

She settled herself down on some of the blankets rather comfortably.

Jess couldn't help smiling at her good values. This was what made having a friend like Leslie worthwhile. That, and her incredible goodness.

Jess settled himself on Leslie's other side and spread a blanket over him, and a blanket over Leslie, who was miraculously asleep.

It was very snug and cozy, and he was asleep almost instantly, Leslie by his side and P.T. lying on his legs, twitching in his sleep.

Jess did not know how long he had been asleep. All he knew was that the canopy had caved in, he was covered in snow and shivering, and the clouds were very dark. The wind was whistling eerily, louder and louder all the time. Leslie's head had drooped onto his shoulder and she was breathing softly in his ear.

Jess, as much as he hated to, shook her awake.

"What?" Leslie said sleepily. "Are we under attack?"

"You could say that," said Jess. "I think there's a blizzard starting up. We should go home."

Leslie nodded and got up. They trudged out of the castle, still a little dazed from sleep.

They snapped right out of that when the snow began to come down very hard and the wind began to howl in their ears. Jess grabbed Leslie's hand, for he did not want to lose her.

They had just caught sight of their houses when Leslie screamed, "I've forgotten P.T.!"

"No, Leslie!" Jess yelled, trying vainly to pull her back, but Leslie had already sprinted back toward the castle. He made to run after her, but a pair of strong hands had picked him up and were carrying him toward a pickup truck. Jess struggled and kicked angrily, but it seemed to have no effect. Jess recognized the person at once as they threw him into the backseat and began to drive.

"Dad, I've got to go back for her!"

"It's too dangerous, Jess," said Jess' father without turning around.

"You don't even like her!" Jess said furiously. "You think she's ridiculous!"

"I'm not going to argue, Jess." Said his Father. "It's too dangerous."

They got into the house and Jess went to the living room immediately without even bothering to take his coat off. Jess' mother came out of the sick May Belle's room, fussed at Jess and his father, and then rushed back into the room. Jess sat at the window, hoping, praying, that Leslie would emerge from the trees with P.T. in her arms.

Several minutes passed, and Leslie still did not appear. It had been too long, Jess thought, staring at the battered old clock, which now stated that it had been fifteen minutes since they had gotten back.

Jess had to save her; there was nothing to be gained from just sitting there. Leslie needed his help.

He seized a marker from the table, tore a blank page out of a book, and hastily wrote a note explaining why he would not be there when his mother came back from May Belle's bedroom. Jess laid the note on the table and hurried outside.

It was very cold, snow blew in Jess' face and the wind howled in his ears as he clambered laboriously through the forest toward the treehouse.

He tried to call her name and immediately got a mouthful of snow. Spluttering, Jess searched frantically for any sign of Leslie he could see. He could not think straight; she could not be gone, she couldn't die out there. Jess was not going to let it happen. He couldn't.

"Leslie!" he called desperately into the swirling white. "Leslie!"

Jess was about to give up when a small white ball of fur ran straight at him and nearly knocked him down. A little pink tongue appeared and began licking his face.

"P.T.!" said Jess. "Where's Leslie?"

P.T. barked and ran off in the opposite direction, Jess trying to follow him. This proved very difficult, as P.T. blended in almost perfectly with the snow.

After several minutes, P.T. ran to a snow bank under a large oak tree and began to dig at it, whining.

Jess flew to the snow bank, got on his hands and knees, and flung pile after pile of snow away from it. Finally he unearthed Leslie's face, which was as white as a sheet, and got the rest of her out of the snow.

"Leslie!" he said, inwardly thankful he hadn't given up. "Are you okay?"

Leslie was shivering very hard, but she managed to shake her head no. Jess wrapped his arms around her and tried to keep her as warm as he could. P.T. darted toward Leslie and started licking every part of her he could reach.

Suddenly Jess heard a shout. He looked up to see the truck's headlights gleaming at him, and the figure of his father came into view.

"JESS!" he roared over the wind. "WHERE IN GOD'S NAME HAVE YOU BEEN?"

"Rescuing Leslie!" Jess yelled back.

"You found her?" said his father. "Get her into the pickup, boy, or she'll freeze to death!"

Jess picked Leslie up, stumbled to the truck, and laid her down gently in the backseat. He got into the truck himself, P.T. following close behind.

They drove away and Jess said, "What should I do now?"

"Rub her hands, try to keep her warm. We'll call a doctor when we get home. Jess, what the hell were you thinking? You could have frozen to death out there!"

Jess ignored his father's reprimanding. He took off his and Leslie's gloves, took both of her hands, and started to rub them vigorously. Leslie began to regain consciousness as P.T. resumed licking her face.

"Take off her jacket," said his father. "The jacket will only make her colder."

Jess peeled Leslie's jacket off of her and wrapped her in the blanket that was in the backseat. It seemed to help a little: Leslie stirred and opened her eyes.

"Leslie? Are you okay? Can you hear me?" said Jess.

She blinked, then her eyes filled with tears.

"Don't cry," said Jess gently. "You'll make yourself feel worse. That is, if you're sick, which I bet you are."

Leslie nodded, tears spilling down her cheeks.

"We're going to call a doctor when we get to my house," Said Jess, not taking his eyes off of her. "You're gonna be okay. Can you speak?"

Leslie shook her head.

"Why not?"

Leslie pointed to her throat.

"Does your throat hurt?"

She nodded.

"You're gonna be okay," Jess said again. Leslie smiled and closed her eyes.

They got back, and Jess himself carried Leslie into the house. He laid her on the sofa, and a second later, his mother came into the living room. She looked relieved to see him and Leslie. Jess' dad, however, fixed a beady eye on Jess and opened his mouth with a determined air.

Jess's mother interrupted him before he had even started.

"Jack, don't scold him. Jess was willing to risk his life for this girl. You can call that arrogance, but I say he was being noble and selfless."

Jack didn't answer, just stared. Mary walked over to Leslie.

"Jack, call the doctor," she said, examining Leslie's pale face. "Jess, go get her some blankets. We need to keep her as warm as possible. I'll help her change into one of Brenda's old nightgowns. Everyone move quickly, please! Leslie may not have much time!"

As his mother carried Leslie out of the room, Jess ran to the closet and got every single blanket he could see. He spread them all over the first sofa and sat on the other one with his face in his hands. P.T. jumped onto the next to Jess and lay down. He was asleep in a matter of seconds.

Jess heard his father on the phone and the blizzard still roaring outside without really caring. He just hoped Leslie would be okay.

In a few minutes, there was a knock on the door. Jess opened it and the doctor came in, covered with snow.

"I was told someone needed a doctor?" the doctor said to Jess.

"Yeah," said Jess. "My mom is helping her change."

They both sat on the other sofa in silence, broken only by the screaming blizzard outside. Then the doctor spoke.

"You look awful worried, son. Are you all right?"

Jess gulped, trying to steady his voice.

"I just want my friend to be okay," he managed to croak.

"Ah. Are you friends or more than friends?"

Jess was quiet for a minute. He thought about how scared he had been when she had gone back for P.T., how relieved he had been to find her, and how worried he was now, wondering if she would be all right.

Jess looked up at the doctor.

"More than friends," he said.

Man, saying that felt good.

"Good friend, son?"

"Yeah, Leslie's great. I mean, she is my best friend. I've known her for a while. She just has great value, and she's pretty, and her eyes…."

He trailed off. Oh, he could just dream about those beautiful green eyes that sparkled like diamonds when something pleasurable came to mind. The doctor smiled knowingly.

"Ah, here she is," he said as Jess' mother carried Leslie back into the room, laid her down and spread the blankets over her. Leslie was dressed in a beautiful nightgown that made her look like some sort of angel, her blonde hair seemed to emit a golden glow.

"Well," said the doctor. "Let's have a little look-see. Can I ask you two to leave for a minute, please?"

Mary nodded and withdrew, but Jess stayed put.

"No," he said quietly. "I want to stay with her."

Jess had taken Leslie's hand in a vice grip. She was so cold…..she couldn't die, he would not let her die, he could not lose her. And he wasn't going to let some doctor tamper with her without his supervision.

The doctor seemed to understand.

"All right," he said. "You can stay."

The doctor slid his stethoscope down Leslie's back and felt her heartbeat. Then he opened her mouth to see her throat. After checking her blood pressure, he told Jess of her condition.

"She has bronchitis," he said. "Somewhat serious, but curable. Just keep her as warm as you can all the time. No cold drinks except for orange juice and medicine, which I brought," he added, giving Jess a bottle full of white liquid. "Give Leslie that two times a day until she gets better. Her lungs were damaged by the temperature, so she will have coughing fits and float in and out of consciousness. And there might be some nausea. Keep her in bed for at least a week. Her throat is red, so I expect she'll either not talk or her voice will be very hoarse when she talks. Stay with her as often as you can. If she isn't cured in a week, call me immediately."

"Is that all?" said Jess wearily.

"Yes," said the doctor, his eyes twinkling. "Well, I must be going. I have to say, if you hadn't found her in time, she probably would have suffered hypothermia and died. She's very lucky to have a friend like you."

The doctor opened the door and closed it behind him as he left. There was a loud crash, the house shook, and the lights went out.

Jess heard Brenda and Ellie screaming but he barely noticed. The windows were opaque now, all he could see was white. They were snowed in. _Perfect,_ thought Jess. _Now no one else will get caught in the blizzard and catch bronchitis. Especially Leslie._

Mary came dashing in, holding a lit candle. It was so amazing how his mother planned for these things it was almost scary.

"What did the doctor say, Jess?" she asked him without preamble.

Jess told her and gave her the medicine.

"We're supposed to give her that two times a day."

"All right, dear," said Mary. "As you can probably see, we're snowed in. Brenda's listening to the radio to find out how long."

"Mom!" shrieked Brenda. "We're going to be snowed in for at least a week, maybe longer!"

"Perfect!" Jess said. "Leslie will be in bed for at least a week!"

"No, it's not perfect!" howled Ellie from the next room. "We won't have any food and I can't buy any new clothes!"

"Neither can I!" screamed Brenda.

"To hell with clothes!" yelled Jack, coming back from the kitchen. "You have enough! And we have plenty of food!"

Jack walked toward his wife.

"I'll be in my room, Mary," he said. "I need to make some calls."

He disappeared into his room without another word.

"I'll be with May Belle, Jess," said Mary, and went back into the hall.

Jess couldn't believe it. He had told the doctor that he loved Leslie! A complete stranger now knew he liked (and he meant like-liked) with his best friend. But oddly, he did not regret it. Leslie was, after all, the only friend he'd ever had. Liking her was not hard. She was nice, creative, and had good values. She wasn't that unattractive either. She was a rare jewel in the crown of society, and he liked that.

Jess was aroused from his thoughts by a faint sound from the sofa. He rushed to Leslie at once. Her green eyes were open and bloodshot, and her mouth trembled. She looked genuinely sick.

"Leslie?" said Jess softly. "Can you say anything?"

"Jess," she croaked, her voice was indeed very hoarse. "You saved my life. I know it was you who got me back to your truck."

"What else was I gonna do? My dad was ready to leave you out there. I couldn't let that happen to you. I knew something bad had happened. So I snuck out of the house and found you. And you were buried under about 3 inches of snow. How did that happen, anyway?"

"I don't really remember…." Said Leslie, and Jess could hear confusion behind the hoarseness. "I remember slipping on something and hitting my head on a tree, then everything's just blank until now. How long have I-"

She stopped abruptly and started coughing very harshly. They were raspy, hacking coughs that made Jess' heart clench and unclench every time she took a breath. Jess patted her back comfortingly, and when she had stopped she tried to speak again, but Jess put a hand on her mouth.

"Shhh," he said. "Don't try to talk or you'll hurt your throat more than I'm sure it already does. I'll just ask you yes or no questions."

Jess paused, trying to think of some.

Then he said,

"Do you feel bad now? Because we've got to give you your medicine soon anyway and you look a little sick."

Leslie nodded.

"We're also going to be snowed in for a week, which is perfect because the doctor said you have to be bedridden for a week. Are you happy about staying with us? You can say no if you want to."

Leslie nodded, smiling excitedly.

"I'm going to take care of you too," Jess said, wanting this to be known. "I'm not going to leave your side until you can get up and walk by yourself without getting dizzy. I'll walk you to the bathroom if you're gonna throw up, and I'll bring you whatever you want me to. Do you mind me doing that?"

She shook her head, her eyes brimming with tears of gratitude.

"Well, good," said Jess. "Because I would have even if you had said you would mind. I just want you to get better."

Leslie smiled.

"Mom!" Jess called, unable to keep the joy out of his voice. "Leslie's awake! We probably should help her take her medicine, too!"

Leslie made a face at him and Jess grinned.

"You have to take your medicine," he said.

She shook her head and pointed at something behind him. Jess looked around to see Ellie with makeup smeared all over her face.

"I'M GONNA KILL YOU, JOYCE ANN!" she screamed at the top of her voice. She looked a horrible mess, with mascara and lipstick in the wrong places and eye shadow had been smudged on her lips.

Jess began to laugh, and Leslie smiled.

Mary came in with Leslie's medicine.

"You're awake!' she said happily.

Leslie took the medicine without being forced to, although she shuddered horribly after swallowing it and washed it down with some water immediately.

"I'm proud of you," said Jess after his mother had left them again. "You're the only person I know who can take medicine with out having to do it by force. You should hear Brenda and Ellie when they have to take medicine."

Leslie covered her ears and Jess laughed.

"Yeah, they scream like the world's coming to an end and they usually wind up breaking something."

Leslie nodded, and then yawned.

"You need sleep," said Jess, covering her with another blanket. "G'night, Leslie. See you in the morning." He had a sudden urge to add, "Sleep well." He blew out the candles and clasped Leslie's hand briefly before going to bed.

Jess was halfway out of the room when he heard a very hoarse croak.

"Jess?"

"What?" said Jess, turning around.

"Thank you."


End file.
